USI men prepare for Parkside

Eagles want to defend transition game

They came in the loss at Wisconsin-Parkside – three baskets scored on fast breaks that helped the Rangers beat the University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team 77-68, the first of two regular-season wins over the Eagles.

"They talk about Jeremy Saffold," said the USI coach, referring to Parkside's leading scorer and the Great Lakes Valley Conference's player of the year, "but they don't talk about how they steal baskets in transition."

He doesn't want that to happen again, especially today. That's when the third-seeded Eagles (21-6) will face the second-seeded Rangers (20-7) at 2:30 in a semifinal game of the Deaconess Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament at the Ford Center.

The other semifinal, starting at noon, will pit top-seeded Drury (23-4) against fifth-seeded Bellarmine (22-6).

Four players average in double figures for Parkside, led by Saffold's 18.9 points per game. He scored 18 in the Rangers' 65-56 victory over seventh-seeded Kentucky Wesleyan during Thursday night's quarterfinals. Parkside also got 14 from point guard Andy Mazurczak and 12 from forward Conrad Krutwig.

Saffold had 25 in that January game against USI while Krutwig totaled 17, hitting three of Parkside's four 3-pointers. In the second meeting, on Feb. 9 at USI, the Rangers won 76-72 in overtime while scoring 12 points off turnovers – not necessarily points from fast breaks but more than likely coming under those circumstances.

"They get so many baskets out of transition," said Watson. "Their kids know how to go to the rim. And they move the ball in the air well – they get you out of position."

A key player is Marzurczak. Against Wesleyan, he passed out six assists, grabbed five rebounds, made two steals and turned the all over only once in 37 minutes. Another concern for Watson is Colt Grandstaff. He's averaging 10.2 points off the bench while shooting 36.8 percent (32-for-83) from 3-point range. But, to USI, he's most noted for the 17 points and three 3-pointers he collected against the Eagles in the February game.

USI's players don't have to be told twice about any of these threats.

"It's about just staying in position on defense," said junior point guard Lawrence Thomas. "And we've got to stop transition baskets. We have to make them earn their baskets."

Keith DeWitt, USI's 6-foot-10 first team all-GLVC center, scored only nine points before fouling out in the January game. That's when the Eagles weren't consistently doing what Watson wanted – running the offense through DeWitt.

"We were stuck in that rut trying to do things from the outside in, and I don't think we're in that anymore," he said with a chuckle.

DeWitt has scored in double figures in every game but one since. In five of those games he's tallied more than 20 points, including Thursday night's 25 in the overtime win over Lewis.

"We've got to buckle down, come in and pound the ball down low," said DeWitt. "I think our size and athleticism will beat them."